Worm gearing



Des. 21 1925. 1,611,630

' J. P. BURKE WORM GEARING Filed March 30. 1925 I INVENTOR .9. A ll merited 2i, lda i .s e at 5am IFW! r a er:

Lari i. \'1 r'.

' Ti} JAMES It. ENGLISH, 011" 'WQR-I'ti GEARIEG.

Application filed March 30, 1925.

This invention relates to mechanical movements and more particularly to speed reduction and power transmission devices.

Among the objects of this invention is to provide means for the transmission of power between a plurality of co-axial shafts operating at different speeds, said means comprising a novel and highly simplified gear arrangen'ient requiring a minimum number of parts or elements and providing for transmission of power in any predetermined direction as desired.

Another object of this vide gear structures of a highly simplified nature adapted for large scale quantity production and particularly for a high reduction or variation of speed as between different moving parts.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional view on the line 11 of Fig. 2 showing a suitable structure.

invention is to pro- Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of 1.

3 1s a detail plan view of a power transmission member or worm.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, represents a supporting structure or casing which is arranged so as to subserve the needs of the particular installation or use to which the invention is put. 1 may, however, arrange said casing to be movable as desired and preferably in conjunction with suitable brake mechanism to vary or otherwise control the movement or rotation of said casing, whether caused by the transmission of power between a plu rality of coaxial shafts 11 and 12 mounted thereon or by other means so as to afford a maximum adaptability of the device for varying conditions. More specifically, said casing may consist of a cylindrical body or have a circular portion 13 to receive a brake shoe 1%. Said casing may be split along the line 15 transversely to the axis thereof to permit of easy assemblage of the device the other carries the shaft 12, said shafts lying in coaxial relation to the circular portion of the casing.

The shafts 11 and 12 operate at different speeds to transmit power as from a motor or other high speed appliance or actuating means to the point or device where power low speed is desired. Thus the shaft 11 may be thought of as a high speed shaft, and the shaft 12 as a low speed shaft, a sprocket wheel 16 being); shown for convenience as mounted upon the high speed shaft. Said shafts are secured to said casing against movement longitudinally of the axis by means of the collars 17 or the like.

A. power transmission member 18 is mounted upon the shaft 11, said member taking the form arranged to cooperate or mesh with gear 19. The gear 19 is mounted in suitable position relatively to the member 18- and preferably in a plane passing through the axis of said member. The gear 19 thence transmits its power to a cooperating, member or power transmission device which may be in the form of a cam or worm 20 as by means of the shaft 21 Whereon it is mounted coaXially with .the gear 19. The member 20 then transmits its power to a gear 22 which is mounted upon the low speed shaft 12 to rotate the same. The specific form of the power transmission members may be varied as desired in the commercial application of the invention, and according to the degree of speed required and the measure of the power to be transmitted. The invention is specially adapted for very high speed reduction, the members 18 and 20 being); arranged as worms or cams of relatively low pitch, or as shown to rotate their co-open ating gears but one tooth for a full rotation of said members. The member 20 is offset from the parallel axial plane of the gear 22 so as to clear the adjacent parts of the device, said gear. being made of sufficient size to engage said offset member, the teeth upon said gear being formed to provide for suitable and easy meshing engagement with the member.

More specifically, the gears 19 and may be thought of as being oi-med of sheet material as by stampine' he latter gear her of a worm gear or cam and ing its teeth .23 extending; perpendicularly or the plane of the gear, said teeth being former by striking the lugs or extensions from the face of the gear, leai'ing the holes 2 Thus these teeth are formed in a series of pairs ot nieinhers carried by the first mentioned shafts to permit oi? reduction or speed therehetween. Said members are to be understood as being generally in the form of norm members and the like, this term being lugs, the lugs oi each tooth being); in spaced used to designate structures which are of relation to each other to provide for the regenerally snnilar torin. ception of a worm tooth between the hi I claim:

The lugs of each tooth are preferably e l. in power transi'i'iiss' vexed toward each other to prorrzie i 211 mechanism, the combination with a low speed shatt, a gear suitable operating conditions with a thereon, a re tively high speed ait cominiinum degree of friction. The members a:- .l there her or. of means 18 and 20 are likewise constructed of {or trad-is .r the gear on, one

metal, a Wing or tooth portion 2 said shafts on, the other, a "h o formed along the periphery i -'sin rot table about is gradually oilset at a unitori angle or pitch i'roin the plane 0 her to be adapted to actuate meshes directly therewith. pitch of said tooth may he va particular operating condr-t" L V seen that a power transmission an 1L and a brake to control tion device is providech the members where n n said housing to vary bein tonne-d whollv 0; sheet that: hetween the shatts.

in a very inexpensive manner. In pow r transnr noted likewise that the direction of combination with a low housing for the .L a ing A i spaced co; h meshing respectivel uf. the aforesaid gears and in.- ed n an in lined re- 1 o as to exert a torque o'ear inenihers ration to the housi thereon as result of the action of the shafts I n 5 the rate ot rotation the speeo reduction of the low speed shaft r lativ relatively hi speed i co high speed shatt may he in t e same "-Iilfli therewi h. ine tting an opposite direction, depei thcr,

direction of inclination or advance of Worm teeth or spirals. Thus, assuming: tl

direction of the high speed she. t to he to the indicated by the arrow (1/ a motion in the. a 1- .7 said direction of arrow Z) imparted to the worm an e rans- 19 and finally a rotation of the low speed versel v to s id axis and arranged to mesh shaft is causec in the same direction as the with the on the low speed shaft ineans high speed shaft. But it the direction oit being pro ed hei Z0611 the transversely advance of the tooth on the ineniher 1S mounted inenihers t ansinitwnsr power 61 r from one to the other a housing being provided for said mechanism to carry the transversely mounted gears said hous ng being rotatable about the axis of said shafts, and brake means to control the rate of rotation o said housing to vary the speed reduction between said she-its.

in testiinonv whereot I atiir; my signature D SAME? P. BURKE,

reversed. the direction oi? rotation hetween said shafts would he opposite.

This invention thus prrides for the tra osllllSSlOIl of power between shafts which d e to peculiar operating conditions must he in alineinent with each other and coinpi. a third shaft mounted transversely to the other shafts and carrying means engaging directly the gears or power transmission 

